Men's Tennis Begins Fall Season Friday

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University men's tennis team will begin competition in the fall season Friday through Sunday at the Southern Intercollegiates, hosted by the University of Georgia.

The Buccaneers, the NCAA Division II National Champions, will compete in five or six events in the fall season, which is dedicated to individual competition.

The Southern Intercollegiates, in Athens, Ga., will feature top players from NCAA Division I and Division II schools. Barry coach George Samuel, entering his 24th season at the school, is excited to take his players to the nation's oldest fall event, which will include players from 28 teams, including Georgia, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Armstrong Atlantic, South Florida, Florida Atlantic and others.

"Our players will get a chance to see some really good players in Georgia, so I think this will be good for us," said Samuel, who collected his 400th career win with the men's program a season ago.

The Bucs will also compete at the Varner Invitational Oct. 4-6 in Winter Park, Fla. Two weeks later they will compete in the Pembroke Lakes Invitational in nearby Pembroke Pines, Fla.

Barry's players close the fall season Oct. 26-28 at the Weston Open Tennis Championships in Weston, Fla.

Seven players who competed for last season's undefeated national championship team return to the Bucs lineup this year.